Apple CEO Steve Jobs said last month that 50 percent of the Mac line has transitioned to Intel
processors. The switch began in January, and Jobs expects all Apple
products to be Intel-based by the end of this year.

Although the finished version of Boot Camp will be available in
Apple's upcoming Mac OS X 10.5, Mac owners with Intel-based Apple
computers for a limited time can download the beta software and
install Windows XP.

Apple hopes the ability to run both Apple and Microsoft operating
systems will convince Windows users.

"We think Boot Camp makes the Mac
even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch,"
Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product
Marketing, said in a statement.

The announcement emphasized Microsoft remains a competitor. "Apple
has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows," Schiller said.
However, "Many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on
Apple's superior hardware," according to Schiller.

Microsoft currently maintains a huge lead over Apple in use by
enterprises, as well as marketshare. Boot Camp "has the potential to
make massive inroads" into the SMB sector and fund a renewed drive by
Apple into the enterprise market," according to Rob Enderle, principal
with the Enderle Group.

"Think of this as a massive market test. If hugely successful, it
could lead to a redefinition of the company into a firm that is a lot
closer to a traditional PC company but more on the bleeding edge of
technology," Enderle told
internetnews.com.

Users' responses were mixed. They ranged from comparing the announcement to the Earth exploding to curiosity as to why people are so excited about it.

Earlier this month, two hackers won
a $13,854 prize by discovering a way to modify Windows XP to run on
Intel Macs.